Brussels, 05/10/2004 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission, on behalf of the European Union, and the Seychelles have initialled a new fisheries protocol to their fisheries agreement, from 18 January 2005 to 17 January 2011. This protocol outlines the fishing possibilities allowed by Community boats in the archipelago and the financial compensation that the EU has to pay for its catches.
According to the protocol EU financial compensation has gone up from €3.4 million to 4.125 million a year. Almost 40% of this amount has been earmarked for promoting responsible fishing. Fishing possibilities increase, on the average over the last three years, from 46,000 to 55,000 tonnes per annum. Licence fees paid by vessel owners have been increased by 50%: €15,000 for seiners, and to €2,250 and 3,000 for long liners. The number of EU vessels fishing under this agreement from Spain, France, Portugal, Italy and the United Kingdom has been set at 52, as opposed to today's figure of 67:
The number of tuna seiners remains the same at 40 while the number of long liners will be reduced from 27 to 12.